This morning when I got to work, I text messaged Chris Reiche like I normally do and the first thing he texted back to me was “Did you hear about Chris.” Obviously, Chris wasn’t talking about himself. I popped on the Tastyfreh.com boards and I instantly saw what he was talking about. Pat D has made the post that one of us always has to make: “Christopher Carl passed away.” This post marks the third member of this site to leave us to go home to God. Like the other three, Chris was in his 30s and had been diagnosed with incurable cancer.
Where do I go from here? That’s a hard question. When Brian Scroggins of Prophecy of P.A.N.I.C. died a few years ago, a large chuck of our history as Christian EDM lovers died. The death of Christopher Carl is no less than that.
Chris was tied into the early days like hardly anyone else. Perhaps only Carey Jarvis of the Dance Chapel rivaled his position back in those days. Chris was a radio DJ back in California and worked tirelessly to promote Christian dance music to the world. He was so committed to that mission that he eventually became an intern with N*Soul Records where he compiled the first few Eclectica compilation releases. Over the past few years he started several internet radio stations, shows and media outlets, Cast the Fire was perhaps the most successful and best known of those.
Chris always wanted to be bigger in life. He wanted to have that world class DJ lifestyle. It wasn’t a matter of the fame, but it was a matter of the love he had for dance music and the love he had of making others happy as a DJ. When Chris was dead on with his mixing and track selection, he was amazing. Regardless, for whatever reason God did not have this path in mind for his life. In this though, was the secret to why Chris’ life is so worthy of honor. You see, in Chris’ death we all saw what he was really made of and even Chris himself saw it.
Chris was a man of God. A true man of God. Despite his failures and short comings (who doesn’t have these), Chris was put to the test in his death and proved himself a faithful servant. His mother died of cancer in her 30s. When Chris first found out that he had cancer in 2006, he was shocked and scared. We watched him deal with that and slowly come to grips with it. He constantly turned to God. Becoming angry with him never, at least publically, was an option. Even when you talked with him in private, the most he would admit is that he didn’t understand why God had allowed this to happen to him.
Over time, we witnessed his hopes rise and fall based on new treatments and some pretty amazing results. God was faithful to him in that these treatments allowed him more time on this world to impact the lives of those around him. He began to take this opportunity to restart his blog and to focus a good portion of it on his cancer. He had several opportunities to witness to other people through it. Through it all, God’s grace, hope and love showed throughout his life.
There really isn’t much more that I can say about Chris. He was quirky, funny, serious, always focused on music and God. He was a loving husband and followed his wife to Kansas to help her support her mother despite his heart always being set in California. Yeah, he made some stupid decisions from time to time, but even those were learning experiences for him and those around him. In the end, none of those mistakes caused him to be less of a man or more importantly, less of a man of God.
Chris, like Brian before him, has set the bar high for the rest of us. When we are faced with the impossible, will we embrace God’s hand for guidance or will we reject it and in doing so turn from the one who has always provided for us up to this point? Nobody can answer that honestly until after they have passed through to the other side of the crisis, but we can learn from those who came before us and in doing so, learn to trust God.
Last week Chris and I had our final chat. In it I told him what an inspiration to everyone he has been. I can honestly say that I don’t know many people in this world who could face what he has had to face and deal with it like he has. I went on to tell him that win or lose, God has been with him. The amazing thing is that when you are a Christian in a situation like his, when you lose… you win.
Chris is now in heaven with the one who saved him and radically changed his life. One of the very first articles we published in the magazine here was Chris’ testimony. In it he talked about how he had grown up in church but he had become determined lose his virginity in high school and after months of clubbing and sex with his girlfriend, God got a hold of him and changed his life. When he met God, God gave him a burden for those like him and even in his death, that was his purpose.
I have been proud to have not only known Chris on the boards here at Tastyfresh, but to have performed with him at Cornerstone and had him on as a writer, reviewer and moderator here. Chris has enriched the lives of thousands through his ministries. He may not have lived the life of an international super-star DJ, but he had just as many fans and an impact that was so much greater than that of Tiesto, Oakenfold, Sasha or just about anybody else you could mention. The impact you have on someone’s spiritual life is a lasting one. Follow Chris’ example and make it count.
And to his wife Crystal, thank you for sharing your husband with us. I don’t know how God will fill that fresh wound in your life, but he will. Hold on tightly to God. Chris was always impressed with how well you have held up to this point. He loved you more than you probably know. You were a sweet couple and your love for each other showed brightly. If you need anything, just let us know and we will try to help you out. Like you, we will miss him and we never will forget him or what he has done for us.